Trump Calls On Postal Service To Hike Rates For Amazon Shipments

Noting that the U.S. Postal Service loses billions of dollars a year, President Donald Trump has called on the agency to raise the shipping rates it charges online retail giant Amazon (AMZN) and others.

Trump claimed in a post on Twitter on Friday that a partnership in which the Postal Service carries Amazon packages in the "last mile" of delivery to customers is making the Post Office "dumber and poorer."

"Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer? Should be charging MUCH MORE!" Trump tweeted.

Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post and has been target of Trump in the past.

A report from the Washington Post cited a Wall Street Journal op-ed by a hedge fund manager who said the Postal Service loses an average of $1.456 for each Amazon shipment it delivers.

However, Amazon rejected the claim at the time, telling Fortune magazine the Postal Regulatory Commission has consistently found that the company's contracts with the Postal Service are profitable.